Flirting with Swimming

Jason got me back in the pool last week, and as always I regret staying away so long. I looked it up, and the last time I swam was almost 2 1/2 years ago at my last triathlon, the day I broke up with triathlon to commit to running (if you've never read this, check it out. It's my "Dear John" letter to triathlon and the race report from my last tri.)

The first time back in the pool wasn't as hard as I feared. I swam 500 yds, even if I had to stop to breath every 25 yds. My stroke and breathing was a mess, but I got through it and actually enjoyed it. Today, I swam 700 yds and had to rest less. My bilateral breathing still sucks, but I felt really strong today. My stroke felt powerful and I could really feel my hands pushing the water to propel me forward faster. Fast is of course relative because I am still painfully slow. Jason was in the lane next to me and in the time it took me to complete 1 length, he was starting his 2nd lap. But that's ok because I'm just out there to get a little extra exercise.  

Every single morning that we go swim, I dread it and just want to stay in bed, but I always feel amazing when I am done and full of energy. I've been running right after swimming, and those runs have been amazing, so I guess I'll keep it up. :) But don't worry, triathlon and I are not getting back together. I'm just flirting with swimming, but my heart still truly lies with running. (Although ultra is looking mighty fine lately.)

I work best with goals, so I think I'm going to attempt this 0 to 1650 program to work up to swimming a mile non-stop. I still need to get a bit more comfortable with my breathing and stroke, and we'll be traveling next week, so I'll start this sometime when we get back from our trip to Florida or in November. I've also been working on my core this month, and I hope to keep that up as part of my Goofy training. In just 2 short weeks, I can see the difference the swimming and consistent core work is making for my running, so I really need to keep at it. 

As for running, we've never been closer. This weekend we tackle another Goofy run, where I'll run 8 miles on Friday and 20 miles on Saturday. It's going to be a LONG weekend. Then on we head to Orlando next week for Jason's Ironman and my little 15k. I'm really looking forward to seeing some running buddies again at this race.

Week 13 Recap

This has been a very busy week and I think I may have over done it a bit, so today is a complete day off. I managed to sleep in until 9:30 am! I tried to do some yoga, but quit after 10 minutes. My body just wanted to be, so I let it be :)

Workout Summary
See details on Dailymile

• Monday - 30 minutes of cardio kickboxing; ran 3.11 miles in 36 minutes
• Tuesday - swam 1200 yd in 35 minutes; ran 2 miles in 26 minutes + walked 1.65 mile 
• Wednesday - bike to work: 29 miles roundtrip
• Thursday - swam 1500 yd in 42 minutes;  ran 3.2 mile run in 42 minutes
• Friday - bike to work (one way) - 14.4 miles; 
• Saturday - ran 10 miles in 2:13; 45 minute swim lesson
• Sunday - 10 min of yoga

Week Totals

• run/walk - 20 miles (4 runs + walks); longest = 10 miles
• bike - 48 miles (4 rides); longest = 14.5 miles
• swim - 2700 yds (2 sessions + swim lesson); longest = 1500 yds
• exercise hours - 10.5 hrs (avg 1.5 / day)

Goals for Next Week:

• run 3x; at least 12 miles
• run 10k without walking
• bike to work 2x; at least 34 miles
• swim 3x (including lesson); 3000 yds
• cross train 1x: yoga, kickboxing, core
• restart 100 pushup challenge using ful push ups
• 85% homemade meals 
• 4/11 - World Record Bicycle Parade

Race Report: Trek Women's Spring Tri (2:13:40)

I finished my first full sprint triathlon on Sunday, 9.6.09 in 2:13:40, and I'm a little underwhelmed, but I had a blast with all the girls before, during, and after. I finished 796 / 936 overall and 84 / 96 in my age group. Here's the recap.

Saturday: Kids Run, Expo, and Pre-Race Dinner

We drove to Disney's Ft. Wilderness early Saturday morning to see Isa run her first race: 100 yard dash. She was adorable! We killed some time after the kid's race at the playground, then went to the expo to get our race packets, race shirt, and shop! Sports Beans was one of the sponsors, so I got many samples of my favorite running nutrition in their new resealable package. I bought a new tri top and got the girls matching bondi bands that say "tri like a girl" for us to wear at our triathlon relay.

After the expo, we checked into our cabin, I racked my bike, then went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch with Lisa and Joe. We chilled in our cabin for a bit after lunch until dinner time. I also had to do a bit of laundry because I put some hershey kisses in my goodie bag that melted while we were at lunch covering the entire contents in gooey chocolate, including my race shirt and new tri top. Chris and David finally got back to the cabin from working the expo all day, then we headed to Giordanno's for the pre-race dinner. We had a blast catching up with friends and eating yummy food, and of course posting for quirky photos =P

Race Morning

Jason and I caught the shuttle to transition area and found MaryLynn on the bus. We got to the transition area just as Kelly was getting there, and got to work. After we setup our areas, we finished body marking each other and headed to the beach.

We quickly found Jason and Joe, and eventually saw the rest of the girls. I was not nervous about this race all week, or even this weekend, until we got to the beach and I saw the buoys. It looked SO LONG! We took some pre-race shots at the dock, where our camera men were stationed, then headed to the beach.  While waiting at the beach, my mom and grandma found me and we took some more pics. It was great to see them there and helped calmed my nerves a bit, but not much. I was still freaking out about how far the swim looked.

Swim = 1/2 mile (880 yds) in 35:00 - 877 / 936

The swim took a little longer than I predicted, but I made it in one piece! I was freaking out while waiting for our wave to start, but once I got in the water I was fine and just kept swimming. I stopped a lot to tread water and see where I was going, switching to breast stroke and side stroke from time to time, but I never stopped completely to hold onto a swim noodle or kayak. It was a little humbling to see everyone I knew in the next wave past me, and before long I was swimming in a sea of blue and purple caps (my wave was orange), but I didn't care. Now I have an official time of 35:36 to beat next time :)

T1 - 00:04:16

We had a long run to the transition area after the swim, and I probably spent too much time putting on socks, shoes, and gloves. I was also a bit flustered and tired from the swim.

Bike = 12.13 mi in 52:00 @ 14.1 mph - 773 / 936

I'm really disappointed in my bike performance. This is my slowest pace in a race. I seem to get slower on the bike with every race I do. I intended to push hard on the bike to make up for the swim, but no matter what I could no go any faster and the hills didn't help. I'd like to blame this on the crowded field, or that I was too tired from the swim and maybe I kicked too much, but the truth is that I did not train properly on the bike the last few months. I commuted to work on my explorer bike, but didn't push myself and rarely did any speed work. I'm going to train specifically for the distance next time and do some drills to improve my speed/power. I'll probably also start wearing the camelbak for longer races as I think I'm wasting too much time reaching down for the water bottle. I think I use it as an excuse to take a break and it makes me lose momentum and takes a little time to get back up to speed. My official bike time  was 53:15, but  that includes 1/4 mile or more run to mount line.

T2 - 00:02:27

Not much to say here. I ran my bike to the back of the transition area, raked it, took off helmet, switched shoes, then grabbed hat and racing belt as I ran out of the transition area. I almost forgot to switch my watch from the bike to my wrist.

Run =  3.15 mi in  38 @ 12:03 min/mile - 620 / 936

The run went much better than I expected. I fumbled with my watch and never set up the intervals, but that worked out in my favor. I started running using 3:1 for maybe the first mile, but I felt good and reduced the walk breaks to every half mile or less -- usually just at the water stops. After the last water stop, I pushed it to catch up to Kelly and I seemed to find my stride so ran it all the way to the finish line trying to get to a sub-12 min/mile avg pace. Cheryl was there at the 3 mile mark and ran with me to end pushing me to dig deep for a strong finish. Thanks Cheryl!!

My Negative Splits pace:

mile 1 - 12:56
mile 2 - 12:23
mile 3 - 11:21
finish (.15) - 8:42!! 

Final Thoughts

So it wasn't the race I was hoping for, and I was a little down about it on Monday, but I need to remind myself that a few months ago I thought a triathlon wasn't even an option for me. I could barely swim and the thought of even getting in a lake terrified me. Being able to complete this was a huge accomplishment, and it certainly will not be the last one. I'm completely addicted! The best part is that I got to share it with a great group of women, and I've met new friends along the way. Here is just a few of them. Thanks ladies and Jason for all your support, and for believing in me. I could not have done it with each and every one of you.

View more race photos

August in Review

	August	July	June	May
run distance	31.64 miles	33.65 miles	21.16 miles	43.64 miles
longest run	6 miles	6 miles	3.75 miles	5.5 miles
avg run pace	12:49 min/mile	12:54 min/mile	12:05 min/mile	11:56 min/mile
bike distance	250.41 miles	190 miles	228.17 miles	161.86 miles
longest ride	30 miles	45.45 miles	50 miles	21.2 miles
avg bike speed	12.7 mph	12.1 mph	12.2 mph	13.6 mph
swim sessions	14	13	5	0
swim distance	6.63 miles	5.14 miles	1.7 miles	0

Accomplishments in August

• Faces of Courage Reverse Triathlon
• Central Florida Sprint Tri #3
• Began Marathon Training
• 1K Lucky's Lake Swim without swim aids (no pull buoy!)

Goals for September

• Trek Women's Sprint Triathlon
• Miracle Miles 15K - my first 15k!

Race Report: Central Florida Sprint Tri #3 (1:29:01)

I signed up for this race on a whim this morning. Jason registered last week, and Friday morning I began considering joining him, but wanted to wait to see how I felt this morning before committing. I decided to go for it to get some experience swimming in a lake in a race environment. I took some pressure off myself by treating it as just another brick workout -- a very expensive one -- and I think that made the race much more enjoyable. I'm thrilled that I finished in under 1:30.

Official Stats:

• swim = 12:19 - 15/16 in AG
• T1 = 3:09 - 8/16 in AG
• bike = 33:47 - 14/16 in AG
• T2 = 1:55 - 14/16 in AG
• run = 37:53 - 15/16 in AG
• total time = 1:29:01
• gender place: 124 / 149
• age group place = 16 / 16

The times and distances listed below are from my Garmin since the official results are based on the advertised distanced (instead of the actual distances I ran/biked) and include mounting and dismounting.

Pre-Race
Since I did same day registration, I got last month's shirt. It's a shame that they only had a medium because I really love the design. I think I'm going to finally use my sewing machine to make it shorter so I can wear it. The goodie bag also included a cool license plate cover that we've already put to use. I'll post pics later. After registering, I began my typical pre-race freak out and questioning what the hell I was doing. I got all my gear and headed to the transition area to find I had a great spot at the end of the rack and right in front of the entrance. They were really serious about the rules in this race, down to where and in which direction you racked your bike. We got a rules sheet in our packet describing all the penalties, and race officials were circling the transition area checking bike racks and that the bar ends were plugged. It was a little intimidating to say the least. While setting up my transition area, I met another member of the Trek Tri Meetup group. Registering for the Trek Tri is the best decision I've made, because I've met so many great ladies.

Swim = 400 yards in 12:19
This was my first real lake swim in a race environment, and I did not freak out like I thought I would. I did get tired pretty quickly, which makes me a little nervous about having to swim twice this much at the Trek in just 3 short weeks. I stayed in the back and avoided getting kicked, slapped or run over -- others were not so fortune -- and was 3rd to last out of the water in my wave. Several from the next wave caught up to me before I was done, but I'm ok with that. The swim for me is all about survival. I only turned over on my back 2-3 times, and my time was pretty close to what I predicted.

T1 = 3:09

We had to run a bit from the beach to the transition area, so I think that's where most of this time is coming from. I decided to try not rinsing out my feet and just wiping them on the towel. It worked ok, but I'm not sure I'll do that again. The transition area was on grass, so I had blades of grass and some sand stuck to my feet. The more I do this, the less stuff I bring. This time I decided not to wear cycling gloves and that worked out ok.

Bike = 8.10 miles in 32:49 @ 14.8 mph

The timing mat was at the exit of the transition area before we were allowed to mount. I started my Garmin after I mounted and began riding, so that's why the time from the official results is longer. We had to tackle a big hill at the very start of the bike course, and I saw several people off their bikes walking up the hill. Even though I was taking it easy in this race, I wanted to push on the bike and at least average 15 mph. The hills were not as bad as I expected, nor as frequent, but they were certainly a challenge. I tried to make up whatever time I could on the downhills and flat portions. At the end of the first 7 miles, I had an average of 15.3 mph, but then we had to climb one huge hill. I didn't have enough left to tackle it and my average plummeted. I passed at least 5 people, maybe more, but I lost track. 

T2 = 1:55

I racked my bike and quickly switched shoes, took off my helmet, then grab my hat and racing belt as I began to exist the transition area. 

Run = 2.95 miles in 37:53 @ 12:50 min/mile

I had a pain-free run on Thursday, but I was not taking any chances of re-injuring the foot, so I ran/walked using 2:1 intervals. This worked out well because 2 minutes was about all I could run without running out of breath or feeling exhausted. The run began with a hill, which I walked then ran downhill. The course had 2 out and back portions, and cruelly passed by the finish line just after mile 1. I think I drank too much water because I felt a bit sluggish, but I kept drinking every chance I got since it was so hot. I was hoping to average closer to 12, but I didn't feel like pushing myself more. I just wanted to enjoy this race and take it all in. I began cutting the walk breaks short after the 2 mile mark, and substituting 30s of walking with a slow jog, then I ran the last 1/2 mile to the finish line. 

Post-Race
This was another race with a great post-race spread: bananas, chips, cookies, soda, and hot dogs. I really wish I had done the other 2 races in this series so I had something to compare it to, but I was just not ready then. I'll probably do the entire series next year. I am totally hooked on tris! :)

Race Report: Faces of Courage Reverse Triathlon (1:33:12)

This is the first triathlon for which I registered. I was lured in by the pool swim, and at the time I thought this would be the closest I'd ever get to doing a tri because of my fear of swimming in open water. This is the same reason why I tried a duathlon. I've quickly come to realized that it's easier to get used to swimming in open water and doing a real triathlon, because the easy way out in trying to avoid it (reverse tri with pool swim or duathlon) were not so easy after all.

Official Stats:

• run = 36:34 - 9/10 in AG
• T1 = 1:46 - 4/10 in AG
• bike = 43:47 - 7/10 in AG
• run + bike total = 1:22:07 - 7/10 in AG
• T2 = 5:14 - 9/10 in AG
• swim = 5:53 - 8/10 in AG
• total time = 1:33:12
• overall place = 141/159
• age group place = 7/10

The times and distances listed below are from my Garmin since the official results are based on the advertised distanced (instead of the actual distances I ran/biked) and include mounting and dismounting.

Run = 3.14 miles in 36:35 @ 11:39 min/mile
I took it easy on the run and ran/walked using 2:1 intervals in hopes to keep the foot pain at bay. It still reared is ugly head, but the walking helped. Almost everyone in my wave passed me during the run, as well as most of the next wave (women over 40 are fast!), but I wasn't going to risk further injury to the foot. The course was beautiful, winding through a nearby neighborhood. Not surprisingly, I finished the run 9 of 10 in my age group.

T1 = 1:46
As you can see from the photo above, I already had my cycling gloves on during the run, so I just had to swap my hat for my helmet, switch shoes, then grab my bike and go. I had the 4th fastest transition in my age group.

Bike = 10.5 miles in 43:12 @ 14.6 mph
The bike was rough, and I am sad I didn't even average 15 mph, let alone maintain my previous race pace. For some reason, I had trouble catching my breath for the first few miles. I think the run took a lot out of me since I had not been able to run more than 1-2 miles in the past few weeks due to the foot pain. As I struggled to get through it, I remembered MaryLynn's goal of passing 5 people, so I set out to do that just for her :) I passed 7, including 1 guy! =D The bike course was also through a nearby neighborhood (a different one) and mostly flat. Even with the slow pace, I made up some time on the bike and climbed to 7th in my age group.

T2 = 5:14
It makes me laugh that my transition from the bike to swim took me almost as long as the swim itself. I was pretty tired when I finished the bike so I was moving a bit slowly. That still would have netted me a fairly fast transition though, were it not for the fact that I started running towards the pool the wrong way.  Silly me, I ran towards the pool, but they wanted us to exit transition the same way we exited for the bike and run all the way around. I would estimate it was about 1/4 mile.

Swim = 200 yards in 05:53

I was exhausted when I got in the pool, but the water felt so good. I even passed one other swimmer! The pool was at most 5 feet deep, so I could stand up whenever I wanted, and I did a few times but not many. I didn't care for the course -- swimming down one lane, then up the next for a total of 8 lengths. Getting under that rope to switch lanes every length really disrupted my rhythm. Now I have an official baseline for my swimming, but I am sure I can do this a little faster when I don't spend 1 hr and 22 min running and biking. I finished the swim 8th out of 10 in my age group, but still hanged onto my 7th overall age group place.

View more photos on Flickr

Post Race
The post-race spread was the best I've seen yet: grilled burgers and hot dogs! I was feeling a bit ill when I got out of the water, so I didn't take full advantage. I felt better once I ate and we were in the car waiting to get out of the parking lot, but it was too late. After we checked out of the hotel, we feasted on lunch at Applebee's and I had a well-earned huge mudslide :) Even though I think this may be more difficult than a real triathlon, I'll probably do this race again next year. It's a nice change from the normal triathlons and I enjoyed the course.

July in Review

July was a great month. I managed to up my run millage a little bit. I was on track to run more than 40 miles, but then I hurt my foot and have not been able to run much (1-2 miles at a time) for the past 2 weeks. My cycling has been hindered a bit due to Florida fall weather, but I am finally getting back to commuting to work.

My swimming has exploded! I swam 13 times in July, compared to 5 in June, and almost 3 times the distance! I am getting more confident in the water, and I always look forward to my swim workouts. I'm swimming 3-4 times a week now, and loving every minute of it. After completing a sub-sprint tri, and conquering my fear of the open water at Lucky's Lake, I finally signed up for my first full sprint triathlon. I am already hooked :)

	July	June	May
run distance	33.65 miles	21.16 miles	43.64 miles
longest run	6 miles	3.75 miles	5.5 miles
avg run pace	12:54 min/mile	12:05 min/mile	11:56 min/mile
bike distance	190 miles	228.17 miles	161.86 miles
longest ride	45.45 miles	50 miles	21.2 miles
avg bike speed	12.1 mph	12.2 mph	13.6 mph
swim sessions	13	5	0
swim distance	9046 yards (5.14 mi)	2992 yds (1.7 mi)	0

Accomplishments in July

• 45.5 Miles Ride to Wekiva Springs 
• Enjoyed Running in the Rain
• 1st Sub-Sprint Triathlon
• Lucky's Lake 1000m Open Water Swim
• Registered for Trek Women Triathlon

Goals for August

• Faces of Courage Reverse Sprint Triathlon
• Celebration of Running 5K (maybe -- hoping to use this as a long run by running 2 miles there and back for a total of 7ish)
• Sprint Duathlon at Fall Tri Festival (maybe)

First Open Water Swim at Lucky's Lake

This morning before work, I went to Lucky's Lake with Jason, Kelly, and MaryLynn, and I made the crossing! I swam 1000 meters, in a lake, and didn't drown or get eaten by a gator :)

Wow! I still cannot believe I really did this. My intention was to get in the lake, swim 50-100 meters out to get a taste for what it'd be like, then come back to the safety of dry land, but Kelly would have none of that! She was confident we could do this and her enthusiasm was contagious--not to mention I couldn't let her sign the wall alone =P

I had my pull buoy, so I wasn't afraid I wouldn't make it, I was just afraid I'd freak out. The turtles swimming near the shore, as cute as they were, did not help ease my nerves, but feeling that the water wasn't freezing helped calm me down a bit. I think I am more afraid of cold water than I am of the creatures that lurk below.

The dog barked and the vets were off. We got in slowly, considered turning around for a second or two, but finally began swimming after some more encouragement from Kelly. I took it easy and didn't freak out! This was probably because no creatures touched me lol. I don't think I could have made it without the buoy, or it would have taken all eternity -- this only took half of eternity ;) Our estimate is 40 minutes roundtrip--not counting the break at the beach on the other side of the lake before turning back. I need to work up to swimming without the pull buoy, but today was about conquering my fear of the open water, and not drowning, and I did that!

I had to stop several times, to tread water or get on my back, but I didn't do this as often as I thought I might and I was always in motion--even when on my back. This was partially because I can't swim straight to save my life, I kept losing where the dock was, and I didn't want to swim on my back for a 100 meters in the wrong direction :) I also felt I would freak out if I stopped for too long and let it sink in that I was in the middle of a lake, with several hundred meters between me and dry land, god knows how many miles from touching the bottom, and probably inches from all kinds of creatures.

The worse part was about 100 meters from the shore -- I think, I have no perception of distance out there -- where I could see the end so close, but it seemed that no matter how hard I tried it just wasn't getting any closer. I finally made it to the other side and felt a little queasy. We rested for a bit, then headed back. There were far less people in the water now, but Lucky's house is HUGE so it was easier to keep in my sights than the tiny boat ramp. The way back felt easier, and I seemed to find my groove faster. I guess I was warmed up by then and had more confidence now that I had already done this once.

I finally reached the beach and was ecstatic that I had done it! We signed the wall, took some photos, then were off to work, still in awe at what we had just done. I am so glad Kelly didn't let me back out, or I would have regretted. Kelly, you are the best training buddy ever!

Mock Tri Turned Aquabike

I think I overdid it this week, and I am paying dearly for it now. Ow! :( Let's recap:

• Sun - biked 45 mile to Wekiva
• Mon - are you kidding? NOTHING!
• Actually, that's not true, swam 100 m and biked 1.7 miles -- see, nothing ;)
• Tue - swam 500 yds + ran/walked 3 miles (easy)
• Wed - 30 min kickboxing
• Thu - 6 workout madness: run, swim, bike, swim, bike, yoga
• Fri - are you kidding? NOTHING! For real this time!
• Sat - ran 5 miles + played kickball for 1 hour
• Sun - swam 500 yds + biked 5.45 miles

I'm dead now! *thunk*

So today I planned to do a mock tri in preparation for my first (sub)spring triathlon next Saturday at Lake Louisa: 1/4 mile swim, 7 mile bike (on hills), 1.5 mile run. Things did not go quite as planned. I failed miserable at swimming 9 consecutive laps. Ok, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I kept loosing my rhythm and messing up my breathing. I had to pause at the wall a few times and several times I stopped mid-length to tread water or get on my back and catch my breath. I think I can do better when I am not so tired and don't have the wall there as a crutch, but I will probably freak out at being in a lake and surrounded by all those people instead =P 

After the swim, MaryLynn and I went for what was supposed to be a 7 mile bike ride. I was hurting from the beginning. Let it be known that I shall never again underestimate the exhaustive power of childhood sports (kickball). We rode from Cady Way park and turned around at the end of the trail (before you cross the street to go to Cross Seminole Trail) for a total of 5.45 miles. MaryLynn forgot one of her running shoes, so that was a good enough excuse for me to skip the run too ;) I was really beat and now everything hurts and my skin is burning/radiating heat. 

Needless to say, tomorrow WILL be a rest day :) 

Below is my plan for the rest of the week. All workouts should be done at an easy pace OR optional ;)

• Mon - REST! And possibly some relaxing yoga
• Tue - Run/Swim at Cady Way before work
• Wed - Bike - to/from work or on trail after work
• Thu - Lucky's Lake to get the freaking out over with AND/OR run/swim after work (maybe) OR REST/YOGA
• Fri - REST! YOGA!
• Sat - RACE DAY!!

Whose idea was it for me to do a triathlon in the first place? And whose idea was it to do it next weekend? Ack! =)

Today's Madness: Run, Swim, Bike, Swim, Bike, Yoga

Yup, I did 6 workouts today. I have no idea where I summoned the energy from, but I somehow still had some left when I got home so I threw in some yoga for good measure. Before the details, here is a summary.

• Morning
• run: 2.5 miles in 28:08 @ 11:15 min/mile
• swim: 300 meters (long course)
• work: 8 hours
• Afternoon
• bike: 6.4 miles in 32 minutes @ 12 mph (ride to pool for meetup)
• swim: 900 yards
• bike: 6.44 miles in 42 minutes @ 9 mph (ride home after swimming)
• yoga: 25 minutes - YOGAmazing for triathletes

AM Run
I got up early to meet Kelly and the Trek meet up at Cady Way park for a morning run and swim at 6:30 am. We ran out and back on the trail (away from the scary bridge) and I did not walk once! I started at an easy pace and threw in a few farklets on the way out, then slowly sped up on the way back with a few more farklets. We ran out for 15 minutes, then turned around and ran back to the park. I stopped at 2.5 miles, just short of 30 minutes, because I like nice even distances :) We had a light sprinkle for the first few minutes of the run, but that didn't last. It got a little humid, but not too bad since most of the run was under trees. This was a great change of pace from my usual Lake Eola loops.

Before we headed to the pool for the swim part of our morning workout,  our meetup organizer Chris gave us all awesome goodie bags. They had some very informative booklets, a gu sample, a water bottle, and a multi-tool! Thanks Chris!

AM Swim
I hurried to the pool since I had to get back to get ready for work. I swam the long course, 50 meters, and it was wonderful. It was really crowded, but the right lane is really wide so we just swam in a row staying to the right on the way out and in the middle on the way back. I took it nice and slow, and I really focus on my stroke and breathing. I was able to make it the entire 50m length all but once, with only a short break before heading back. The one time I couldn't make it all the way was only because I inhaled water,  not because I was tired. I like the long course better because I can get a good rhythm going and it forces me to pace myself. In a 25 yds lane, I tend to stop at the wall just because is there.

These two morning workouts were a great, with a great group of ladies, and gave me tons of energy for the rest of the day. Kelly and I plan to make this a regular workout so we can swim the long course at least once a week.

PM Bike
The weather cleared up just in time for Kelly and I to bike ride to the afternoon meetup for another swim :) We've been going to this meetup for a couple of weeks now and love it. Kelly still needs to buy her bike, so she rode my Jamis while I rode my road bike. We made pretty good time and kept a 12 mph pace on the way there, which is the fasted she's ever ridden. Yay! Go Kelly! On the way back though, we were pretty spent from the swim so we took it easy. Kelly was such a trooper even though she was exhausted, and I even got her to throw in a sprint at the end.

PM Swim
After the bike ride, the water felt amazing! I somehow still had tons of energy and I was just dying to swim. The morning swim was just a little teaser, but I couldn't do more because I had to go to work. I think since my stroke is improving, swimming has become so much easier and I'm actually having fun. We did a combined 12 laps, and we only stopped between laps instead of lengths. Yay! We tried to do drills with some of the group, for we were too tired so just focused on laps at our own pace. Giles took another look at my stroke and video taped me. Once I get the video, I'll post the before and after so you can hopefully see my improvement. He said I've made huge improvements and now I just need to fine tune it. My biggest improvement, of course, is swimming without the nose plugs and learning to breath so I don't inhale water every stroke. It still happens occasionally, but it is the exception and not the rule.

Yoga
I still had an abundance of energy when I got home, so I thought I'd do some yoga to mellow me out and get me ready for bed. I've been neglecting yoga lately, but I really needed it today after all I put my body through. It felt amazing and did the trick. (My eyes are getting heavy as I finish typing this.)

So that's my ridiculous active day -- oh yeah and I worked 8 hours between the AM and PM workouts :)

June in Review

As you can see from the stats below, compared to last month, I almost doubled my cycling. This resulted in me running half as much. I guess this makes sense since biking is substantially more prominent in triathlons than running, but I still need to find a better balance between the two. I need to begin building and maintain  a base of at least 1 6-mile long run per week in preparation for when I begin half marathon training in September. I also swam 5 times and I am starting to get more comfortable with swimming. So much so in fact, that I may try a triathlon with a 1/4 mile open water swim next month.

	June	May
run distance	21.16 miles	43.64 miles
longest run	3.75 miles	5.5 miles
avg run pace	12:05 min/mile	11:56 min/mile
bike distance	228.17 miles	161.86 miles
longest ride	50 miles	21.2 miles
avg bike speed	12.2 mph	13.6 mph
swim distance	2992 yds (1.7 mi)	0

Accomplishments in June

• Rode 50 miles in one day
• Finished 1st Duathlon
• Began swimming regularly
• Bought 2nd bike

Goals for July

• Maybe complete my first triathlon at Lake Louisa?

Swim Meetup Workout #2: 1050 yards!

Kelly and I attended our second swim workout with Andy's tri meetup group tonight and had an amazing time. I swam a total of 1050 yards! This is twice as many yards as I swam last week and with a much better stroke! While most of this was not consecutive, I did much better at maintaining a proper stroke/breathing rhythm for longer and needed less rest between laps/lengths. Is there such a thing as swimmer's high? If so, I got it! I was so pump that I could not shut up on the ride home and at the dinner.

The workout:

• warm up: 350 = 7 x 50
  we were at the pool about 30 minutes before everyone else (because we did not run due to the weather), so we did most of these on our own at an easy pace and with plenty of rest
• drill set: 200 = 4 sets of 2 x 25
  each set was a different drill to work on technique
• main set: 350 = 4 sets of 2 x 25 + 50
  the 50s were supposed to be a consistent medium to fast pace, while the 2 x 25 were supposed to get increasingly faster with each set. I have no sense of pace while I swim (and there was no lap clock) so I just focused on surviving each lap. Kelly and I skipped a set of 2 x 25 to recover.
• sprint relay: 100 = 4 x 25
  There were 6 of us, so we had 2 relay teams of 3. One person started at one of the pool and the other 2 at the other end. We swam 25 yards hard when the other person reached our end. The faster we swam, the less rest that person had. lol. I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
• cool down: 50
  I was too exhausted to do anything else.

Improvements:

• pull buoy - I swam with a pull buoy the whole time. This really helps me focus on improving my stroke without worrying about my legs and keeping my body up. Without the pull buoy, my butt dips too far down and its a struggle to stay afloat. I need to add the legs and work on my kick eventually, but one thing at a time :)
• nose plug - My main problem with swimming with my head in the water is that I almost always end up with water up my nose when I put my head back in the water after coming up for air. That sends me into a mini panic and completely throws off my rhythm. I still panic every so often and flail about, but with the nose plug I don't inhale water, which minimizes these episodes. I am sure I look like a total dork, but it is totally worth it.
• keep my head down - I used to swim with my head completely above the water, because I didn't know how to breath otherwise, which wasted a lot of energy. I didn't realize how much until I started swimming with my head in the water. That simple change has made all the difference, and I can really feel myself gliding through the water.
• exhale under water - While I get this breathing thing down, I tried holding my breath for as many strokes as I could while blowing air through my mouth under water (I think I was practically swimming with my mouth open most of the time lol). Somehow this helps me keep a good rhythm and make it easier to get air when I came up to breath. At first I could go 2-3 (or more) strokes but eventually I had to breath every other streak.

I am sure there are other things, but I am too tired to remember. My left shoulder is hurting a bit. I hope I don't have a repeat of the shoulder issues I had before because I am really starting to get the hang of this.

Swimming with Kelly and this group is very motivating. Had I been doing this on my own, I would have probably quit after 200 yards. Andy, the meet up organizer and couch, is awesome. He does a great job adjusting the workouts to our different skill levels, yet I still feel part of the group.

I can't wait for next week's workout! Kelly and I are going to swim on our on Tuesdays and do a repeat of his Thursday workouts from the previous week. The possibility of me doing a real triathlon, specifically the Trek Women Triathlon on September 6, is looking better and better :)

PS: We did some bad math and thought we swam 1550 at one point, but that was just wishful thinking in our delirious swimmer's high state. As Kelly put it, "swimming and doing math is like drinking and driving" lol. This is why I like training with Andy and doing drills, because I can just go home and recall the drills to figure out how far we swam.

Biker's Tan & Swim Progress

I do most of my workouts in tight shorts that go to about mid-thigh. This means that I've slowly developed a biker's tan, but today it reached epic proportions. More details below, but first an account of another busy Saturday.

Firefighter Challenge

I woke up early this morning to watch Jason participate in the Firefighter Challenge and Run The Rosen Stair Climb. The course: crawl through an obstacle course simulating a collapsed building, run to and drag a charged hose towards some cones, turn on the hose and knock over the cones simulating putting out a fire, drag a fire sled about 100 feet to simulate pulling a body of a burning building, then climb 14 flights of stairs. He said it was indeed very challenging, especially the stair climb.

Biking

The event started almost a half an hour late, so it threw off the rest of our morning plans a bit. When we finally made it back, we met up with Kelly and Eric for some biking and swimming. We rode from our apartment to Cady Way until the bridge, then to the pool for some laps. Since Eric's chain was acting up, Jason biked home to get the car while we swam. After the swim, he drove them home and I rode home alone in my new mountain/adventure bike. I was hoping to ride a bit faster alone, but that plan was quickly died by the headwind coupled with my diminished energy due to swimming and sun exposure. Oh yeah, in case you missed the subtle reference above, I bought yet another bike (pictured on right) for around town riding and some light off-roading: a Jamis Explore 2.0

Swimming

I swam about 400 yards. This is an estimate because I was working on my stroke/breathing so sometimes I didn't make it the entire length of the pool. It is possible I actually swam more yards, but this is the laps I actually remember counting--I stopped counting when Jason showed up and helped me with my stroke.

I used a pull buoy to help me focus on my stroke and keep my body in better alignment, and that helped a lot. I am still having issues swimming with my head in the water, and thus waste so much effort unnecessarily, but I am getting better. I actually do quite well when I have my head in the water and can lift my head to come up for air, but all hell breaks loose when I try to put my head back in the water. I managed a few strokes several times, but almost every time I reverted back to my old ways mid-way through the lap.

Biker's Tan

I underestimated (as I often do) how much sun you get while swimming, and I forgot to reapply sunscreen after we biked there. I swam in my tri shorts, and now I have an absurd biker's tan and a bit of a sunburn :(

We went to Sports Authority and I bought a new swimsuit, but I'm going to look (more) ridiculous in it the next few times I go to the pool. They had this really cute one with skulls, but it was much too tight. I know they are supposed to fit tight, but how tight? So I ended up with a plain blue nike one in the same size that seem to fit more comfortably, but now I am seeing not so great reviews for it so I may return it.

Can anyone recommend a good swimsuit for doing laps and enlighten me about what kind of fit I should look for?

I stopped by Target in search for some shorter shorts to possibly swim in instead, and ended up with a second swimsuit (pictured on right--no, that's not me =P) because it was just too cute for words. Now I need to go to the beach or tubing (or maybe a water park! ooh!) so I can wear it.

So this concludes another busy Saturday. I planned to do a brick workout this morning, but that didn't pan out. I may do it tomorrow instead of the planned 5 mile run, but I'm going to play it by ear since I am so tired and a bit burned out (literally) of outdoor activities at the moment. I didn't even go to the run hash tonight. I'm never going to get my hash name :( I think I'll go draw or take a nap :)

Swim Workout

or "Trying to propel myself to the other end of the pool without drowning"

I swam 550 yards today. Impressed? Not so fast =P This was in no way consecutive. I pretty much took a break after every 25 yds, and there was plenty of treading water to rest my arms as I made my way back to the other end of the pool or clutching the wall to catch my breath, but I am still shocked that I managed all this.

Kelly and I met a tri meetup group (http://triathlon.meetup.com/144/) at the College Park pool. Since they had family swim instead of adult fitness tonight, the lane ropes were off, so we had to improvise. It basically turned into an obstacle course (not a bad thing to experience when training for a triathlon).

After some warmup laps (was supposed to be 500 yds, but I managed 150), he broke us up onto 3 groups and we did 3 different workouts for ~10 minutes each: 8 x 50 (or 100), panic sprints, 20s treading water kicks -- not sure what this is called, but you basically put your hands above your head and try to stay above water by kicking hard for 20 seconds at a time.

• Kelly and I chose to do 50s and managed 5 of them. The other 2 in our group were so fast, or I was so slow, that they were done with their 100 before I was barely heading back to finish my 50.

• Then it was time for the panic sprints, where we swam hard to the rope (half way across the pool) then swam back easy; we managed 6 of those. It was actually easier to swim fast, but then the turn around in the middle of the pool made us lose momentum and I had to doggy paddle for a bit to get a rhythm. Kelly tried to teach me the breast stroke, but I need lots of work :)

• We finished with the tread water kicks, and those about killed us. It did get easier the more we did it, and I quickly learned you have to kick hard and fast. I barely managed to get my hands above the water or I'd sink. lol

Overall, it was a great workout and I had a lot of fun. My biceps are burning, but I can't wait to try it again :) A HUGE thanks to Kelly for sticking with me and trying to teach me the breast stroke. I'll definitely be back to train with this group.